Cryptonomicon

Cryptonomicon is a challenge to read, but the payoff is worth it. There are two parallel timelines built around cryptology, one in WWII & one in present day (around 2000) with the goal of finding treasure lost in WWII. It is very male-centric, so it's not the place to go if you're looking for strong female characters, but that and the length are the only major flaws. I enjoyed Stephenson's writing here better than his other books & laughed out loud many times at his metaphors. I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment having completed it.